PS Seasoning

What PS Seasoning does

PS Seasoning is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturer and supplier of BBQ rubs, sauces, cooking seasonings, sausage seasonings, jerky and sausage-making kits, casings, cures, and high-temperature cheese, operating since 1977 from Iron Ridge, Wisconsin. The company runs a dual go-to-market: a direct-to-consumer Shopify storefront with nationwide shipping (free over $49) targeting home cooks, BBQ enthusiasts, and home sausage/jerky makers; and a national field sales organization covering Southwest and Southeast territories that supplies seasoning blends and ingredients to commercial meat processors for sausage, jerky, and snack stick production. The product portfolio is anchored by competition-grade rubs (Blue Ribbon, Notorious P.I.G., Rodeo Rub), signature sauces (Cherry Bomb, Bee Sting), and an affiliated sub-brand, Pro Smoker, which designs and sells commercial-grade smokers and dry agers, creating a bundled hardware-plus-consumables ecosystem.

Underlying the product line is the Wisconsin Culinary Innovation & R&D Center, where new blends are formulated, tested at commercial smokehouse scale, and informed by AI-assisted flavor development tools. The company publishes an annual proprietary trend report (the 2026 BBQ Trends Report and 2026 Flavor and Consumer Behavior Trends Forecast) that combines consumer surveys with internal R&D and AI tooling to direct new SKU development, including the March 2026 launch of Pesto Sausage, Curry Sausage, Birria Snack Stick, and Candied Jalapeño Jerky blends for commercial processors. Products are priced individually (typically $7-$20 per unit; kits and bundles up to ~$60), and the company sells through content marketing, paid social (Meta, TikTok, Microsoft, Google), Klaviyo email/SMS, and Rebuy-powered personalization on the storefront.

The business is privately held, has no external institutional shareholders, and is currently investing in growth: a 200,000-square-foot global headquarters broke ground in West Bend, Wisconsin, approximately 150 jobs were added to the campus between June 2025 and June 2026, and the meat-industry sales organization grew more than 50% over the prior three years. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. A Class I FDA Salmonella recall affecting industrial bulk seasonings occurred in April 2025 and represents the principal disclosed regulatory/operational risk on the B2B side.

Name

PS Seasoning

Legal name

PS Seasoning & Spices

Website

https://psseasoning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PS Seasoning is a third-generation family-owned manufacturer of BBQ rubs, sauces, sausage seasonings, and jerky kits serving home cooks and commercial meat processors through DTC e-commerce and a national field sales organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Iron Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Online sales of seasonings, rubs, sauces, sausage making supplies, and equipment through company Shopify storefront. Customers purchase directly with free shipping on orders over $49.
2. Commercial Meat Processor Sales: Sales of seasoning blends and ingredients to commercial meat processors for use in their production operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PS Seasoning manufactures and sells BBQ rubs, sauces, cooking seasonings, sausage seasonings, jerky and sausage making kits, casings, cures, high-temp cheese, and Pro Smoker-branded smoking and dry-aging equipment. The company sells these products directly to home cooks and BBQ enthusiasts through a Shopify e-commerce storefront and to commercial meat processors through a national sales organization with territory-based field reps.

Product overview

PS Seasoning is a third-generation family-owned seasoning and meat processing products company operating since 1977, offering a comprehensive portfolio of BBQ rubs, sauces, cooking seasonings, sausage seasonings, jerky and sausage making kits, and Pro Smoker branded smoking equipment. The company serves both direct-to-consumer home cooks and commercial meat processors through its meat market division. The product ecosystem centers on BBQ and meat processing with complementary equipment (smokers, dry agers), accessories (casings, cures, high-temp cheese), and seasonal/limited-edition offerings. Key product lines include award-winning competition-style rubs (Blue Ribbon, Notorious P.I.G., Rodeo Rub), signature sauces (Cherry Bomb, Bee Sting), and trending sausage seasonings (Birria, Pesto, Curry) developed through AI-assisted R&D.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pro Smoker: A related family-owned business specializing in commercial-grade smokers, dry agers, and smoking supplies. Pro Smoker's technical expertise supports PS Seasoning's product development. Website: pro-smoker.com

Products and services

• BBQ Rubs Competition-grade dry rubs formulated for smoking and grilling that develop bark without burning, balance smoke, and deliver consistent flavor across batches. Targeted at home cooks, BBQ competitors, and commercial smokehouses.
• BBQ Sauces Pitmaster-grade sauces for glazing, mopping, dipping, and finishing meats including ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and wings.
• Cooking Seasonings Versatile seasoning blends for everyday cooking applications including steak, burger, taco, and wing seasonings, sold to home consumers.
• Sausage Seasonings Professionally formulated seasoning blends for homemade and commercial sausage production, including bratwurst, snack sticks, summer sausage, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, Polish kielbasa, and specialty cured meats, with trend-driven 2026 additions such as Pesto Sausage, Curry Sausage, Birria Snack Stick, and Candied Jalapeño Jerky.
• Jerky Kits Complete kits for making homemade beef jerky including seasoning packets and jerky cure, sized for various batch volumes.
• Sausage Making Kits Comprehensive kits for home sausage making with all necessary ingredients and instructions.
• Pro Smoker Smokers and Equipment Pro Smoker sub-brand commercial-grade and home smokers, dry agers, and associated supplies and accessories for meat processing and smoking, including the Pro Max 100 S electric vertical smoker.
• High-Temp Cheese High-temperature cheese varieties including cheddar, pepperjack, mozzarella, habanero, swiss, and bleu, designed to maintain texture during cooking and smoking processes.
• Casings Sausage casings including natural hog casings, collagen casings in various sizes and colors, and fibrous casings for smoke applications.
• Cures and Binders Curing salts and binding agents for processed meat products including venison bacon cure and general-purpose cures and additives.
• Wing Sauces and Rubs Specialized sauces and dry rubs for chicken wings including Buffalo, hot honey, maple bourbon, pineapple sriracha, and globally-inspired flavors, sold in individual units and gift set bundles.
• Mustards Gourmet mustards including Bavarian-style beer mustard for bratwurst, burgers, and pretzels.
• Dry Agers Dry aging equipment for beef that allows home users to create restaurant-quality dry aged steaks from rib loins.
• Trend-Driven Commercial Seasoning Blends Four new commercial seasoning blends launched for meat processors targeting global exploration, newstalgia, and sweet-heat (swicy) trends: Pesto Sausage Seasoning, Curry Sausage Seasoning, Birria Snack Stick Seasoning, and Candied Jalapeño Jerky Seasoning.
• Holiday Limited-Edition Seasonings Limited-edition holiday seasonal products including Gingerbread BBQ Rub for ribs and smoked meats and Holiday Turkey Brine Kit for Thanksgiving preparation.
• Mug Shot Root Beer BBQ Sauce Brand-collaboration sweet-smoky root beer BBQ sauce with molasses and warm spices for ribs, pulled pork, and BBQ chicken, developed with Jolly Good Root Beer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of consumers now cook with BBQ flavors multiple times per week, signaling shift from seasonal to year-round culinary experience
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pro SmokercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro Smoker is a related family-owned business that designs and manufactures commercial-grade smokers and equipment. PS Seasoning and Pro Smoker share ownership and operate together, with Pro Smoker providing technical expertise for smokehouse performance testing of new seasoning blends.
• Jolly Good Root BeerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJolly Good Root Beer inspired the Mug Shot Root Beer BBQ Sauce product, combining sweet-smoky flavors with molasses and warm spices. This is a brand collaboration for product development.
• Coherent Market InsightsminorOthersThird-party market research firm providing industry data on the global BBQ seasoning market. PS Seasoning is mentioned alongside competitors McCormick and Kraft Heinz in market analysis reports.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rufus Teague: Premium BBQ sauces, rubs, and seasonings sold through grocery, club, and DTC channels. Directly competes with PS Seasoning's sauce and rub SKUs in the same premium/competition positioning and mid-tier retail aisles.
• Old World Spices: Mid-sized manufacturer of seasoning blends and cures serving commercial sausage makers and meat processors. The closest direct peer to PS Seasoning's commercial meat market division, competing for the same industrial buyer base with overlapping sausage and jerky seasoning portfolios.
• Spiceology: Specialty spice and seasoning brand offering chef-driven blends through DTC, wholesale, and foodservice channels. Comparable to PS Seasoning's premium positioning and innovation cadence, with stronger chef/restaurant penetration but less commercial-meat focus.
• Kinder's: Premium rubs, sauces, and seasonings specifically positioned for BBQ, grilling, and meat, sold through DTC, grocery, and foodservice. Directly competes with PS Seasoning's Blue Ribbon rub line and trade-show presence for the same artisan home-cook buyer persona.
• Meat Church: Boutique BBQ seasoning brand built around competition-style rubs and a strong content/community presence in the smoking and BBQ hobbyist segment. Closely overlaps PS Seasoning's home cook and BBQ enthusiast customer segment, product mix, and DTC channel motion.
• A.C. Legg: Established commercial seasoning manufacturer specializing in blends for snack sticks, sausages, and jerky. Directly competes with PS Seasoning's commercial meat-processor lineup and has deeper tenure in the foodservice sausage ingredient channel.
• Stubb's: BBQ sauce and rub brand (acquired by McCormick) with strong grocery and DTC presence. Directly competes in the same BBQ sauce and rub category as PS Seasoning, with similar mid-premium positioning and core home-grilling consumer.

Broad incumbents

• Weber: Iconic outdoor grilling brand selling grills, accessories, and branded seasonings/sauces. Overlaps with PS Seasoning in the home-cook grilling customer and BBQ media moment, but Weber's scale and broader outdoor-cooking portfolio make it a broad incumbent rather than direct peer.
• McCormick & Company: The dominant U.S. spice and seasoning manufacturer and the incumbent reference for the entire category. PS Seasoning is named alongside McCormick as a competitor in BBQ seasoning market analysis, but McCormick operates broadly across spices, sauces, and condiments at massive scale rather than specializing in meat-industry blends.

Others

• Traeger Grills: Wood-pellet grill and broader wood-fired cooking ecosystem, including branded rubs and sauces. Closely adjacent rather than directly competitive: shares the BBQ enthusiast customer and trade-show circuit but competes through equipment and ecosystem rather than core seasoning formulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCijdt6aD6oHtfdrb-F-7yeQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/psseasoning
• Instagraminstagram.com/psseasoning
• Pinterestpinterest.com/PSSeasoning
• TikToktiktok.com/@psseasoning
• Xx.com/PSseasoning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PS Seasoning